Iowa Ct. R. 34.1

34.1(1) There is hereby created the Iowa Supreme Court Grievance Commission (grievance

commission) consisting of 25 attorneys from judicial election district 5C, 15 attorneys from

judicial election district 5A, 10 attorneys from judicial election district 6, and 5 attorneys

from each other judicial election district, to be appointed by the supreme court. The supreme

court will designate one attorney as grievance commission chair. The supreme court will accept

nominations for appointment to the grievance commission from any association of attorneys that

maintains an office within the State of Iowa or any attorney licensed in Iowa. The grievance

commission also consists of no fewer than 5 or more than 45 laypersons appointed by the court.

Members must serve no more than three three-year terms, and no member who has served three

full terms is eligible for reappointment. A member serving as a primary or alternate member

of a division of the grievance commission at the time the member’s regular term ends must,

nonetheless, continue to serve on that division until the division has concluded its duties with

respect to the complaint for which the division was appointed.

34.1(2) Grievance commission members are referred to as commissioners. The grievance

commission or a duly appointed division of the grievance commission must hold hearings and

receive evidence concerning alleged violations, wherever such violations occur, of the Iowa

Rules of Professional Conduct, the laws of the United States, and the laws of the State of

Iowa or any other state or territory within their respective jurisdictions, by attorneys within the

jurisdiction of the grievance commission as described in rule 34.10. The grievance commission

has such other powers and duties as these rules provide.

34.1(3) A grievance commission member must not represent, in any stage of an investigative

or disciplinary proceeding, an attorney against whom an ethical complaint is filed. A grievance

commission member may represent an attorney in a malpractice, criminal, or other matter;

however, the member must decline representation of the attorney in any stage of the investigative

or disciplinary proceeding and must not participate in any hearing or other proceeding before

the grievance commission. These prohibitions extend to attorneys associated in a firm with a

grievance commission member with respect to those cases in which the member participates or

has participated as a member of a division or as an alternate.